“So you stood there and watched as your wife get into the room with another man. You didn’t bother stopping me or doing anything; instead, you turned around and left. Then, you showed up on the following morning to catch us in bed together, so that you can hold it against me.”
I felt Christopher holding my hand, and that got me to grin. The truth was that I no longer cared about what Lyle did to me. Time could heal all wounds, and all I wanted at that moment was to enjoy the love I shared with Christopher, which had helped me overcome so many hurdles.
Lyle’s expression stiffened. I could relate that he was truly angry at the time, and he wanted to get me in trouble, but he later got a call from Crystal wand that gave him the courage to do what he did then. I am sure he wanted to get back at me thinking that I have betrayed him.
I couldn’t help but snigger. Seeing that, Lyle’s expression took a sharp turn. Fury rose within him before he retaliated, “Don’t change the subject. You still can’t deny that you slept with Mr. Ziegler!”
“Mr. Smith!” growled Mrs. Ziegler before I got to speak up. It was likely that she couldn’t bear to continue listening, so she calmly pointed out. “You shouldn’t tarnish a woman’s reputation when you know nothing. Ms. Tanner and my husband weren’t the only ones in the room that night. I was there too.”
“I can’t believe you’re making such a heinous lie just to cover up for your husband,” insulted Lyle.
“And I can’t believe there’s a man who is that eager to show off how he was cheated on,” commented Christopher. He tended to remain quiet, but he always hit the bull’s eye whenever he spoke.
It seemed like Mary had never dealt with someone as unreasonable as Lyle because she responded by massaging her temple in exasperation. After that, she continued, “Do you really think I’d protect my husband and his mistress if he cheated on me? A lot happened that night, Mr. Smith. A malicious businessman used some underhanded tricks to attack me, and I almost got a divorce. Ms. Tanner happened to stumble upon the truth, so she got my husband and me into the same room and cleared the misunderstanding. That is the only reason we remained married and loving all these years.
“It doesn’t matter if you believe it. The truth remains. Naturally, if you insist on getting to the bottom of it all, you can look into the surveillance footage in the hotel. You’ll see that I am only telling the truth.”
I remembered what happened that day… Or, to be more accurate, I remembered everything that happened during that time. It was the third month we got married, and I was sweet and loving to Lyle, so he had started to pay attention to me as well.
That night, I went to negotiate a business deal, but I ended up learning how someone was going after Mrs. Ziegler. They even got a stranger into her room without her knowing. I immediately went over to explain the situation to Mr. Ziegler, who was making a scene and insisting on getting a divorce. Fortunately, I made a short recording when I learned the truth, and that ultimately cleared the air for them.
Lyle suddenly changed after that night. At the party later that month, he left me alone in the hotel room, even though I was drunk and drugged at the time.
“That is not possible!” blurted Lyle. He was a little lost. The truth that he had firmly believed for years was suddenly revealed to be a lie. He probably couldn’t accept that.
That didn’t matter to me, though I finally understood what had happened. I chuckled aloud before sipping some tea and pointing out. “Is this why you kept calling me a slut? Or why you have remained disrespectful to me in the two years that we were married? Crystal isn’t the only reason why you behaved that way, right?”
“Yvonne, I…” said Lyle after his entire body trembled. It was as if he had just been dunked in icy water, and he was sweating profusely.
The truth was extremely insulting. In the past, Lyle would talk to me in a strange tone whenever I went out to meet up with Mr. Ziegler. The former’s passive-aggressive taunts had always made me especially troubled, and I never knew how to respond to him.
“Lyle Smith, you are such a hypocrite. You assumed that I had sex with another man in exchange for a lucrative contract; but, you enjoyed the benefits brought about by that contract. Most importantly, you hated me for the very same thing you enjoyed. No wonder you’ve always acted strangely whenever I drop by the Ziegler family’s place to discuss extending the contract. You even insisted that I dress up for the meetings. Have you ever considered being stronger and challenging yourself to get the contract without sending me in?”
